Ithaca College

 Rory Cooper, Class of 2012, will learn firsthand about the interrelationships between culture, communication, and the environment this fall.  He is bound for Chile through an affiliated program in the School of International Training.  Rory will complete a course called "Cultural Identity, Social Justice, and Community Development" while living among a small indigenous Mapuche community. 

Rory has a long standing admiration for Chile, noting that it has "one of the most extraordinarily diverse collections of natural eco-systems."  He is troubled, however, about the challenges posed to traditional practices by industrialization.  While in Chile next fall, he will capture the natural beauty, along with his experiences, on a handheld HD camcorder.  He plans to make a documentary to present at next year's NCUR conference and the Wilderness Education Association annual meeting.

Rory has no predictions at this point:  "The result of my study is a mystery to me... but I hope to unveil some common ground between the two extreme sides of conservation and industry."

Rory is an emerging young scholar in the Culture and Communication major and was recently inducted into Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication association honor society for undergraduates.  The Department of Communication Studies wishes him a safe, productive adventure and looks forward to reading the scholarship that emerges.